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Frankenstein Essay

AP Essay

2011. In a novel by William Styron, a father tells his son that life "is a search for justice." Choose a character from a novel or play who responds in some significant way to justice or injustice. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the character's understanding of justice, the degree to which the character's search or justice is successful, and the significance of this search for the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

            In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the two main characters, Frankenstein and the creature are both seeking justice. This justice wouldn’t have been necessary if it wasn’t for the creation of the monster. The physical appearance of the monster is the main cause of its own monstrosity and other people’s hatred of it.

            Frankenstein’s justice stems from the realization that the monster has killed all of Victor’s family. Other members of his family feel the anguish of the recent deaths, but none so strongly as Victor, “I, not in deed, but in effect, was the true murderer. Elizabeth read my anguish in my countenance, and kindly taking my hand, said, "My dearest friend, you must calm yourself. These events have affected me, God knows how deeply; but I am not so wretched as you are. There is an expression of despair, and sometimes of revenge, in your countenance that makes me tremble. Dear Victor, banish these dark passions. Remember the friends around you, who center all their hopes in you. Have we lost the power of rendering you happy? Ah! While we love, while we are true to each other, here in this land of peace and beauty, your native country, we may reap every tranquil blessing--what can disturb our peace?” (124).From his first move, the monster ended up killing Victor’s brother and then placed the blame on a close childhood friend. This show of frustration reflects a newborn’s ability to only think of themselves and their pleasure. Victor’s frustration grows as more of his family is killed off as a direct result of the monster’s actions, “When I reflected on his crimes and malice, my hatred and revenge burst all bounds of moderation. I would have made a pilgrimage to the highest peak of the Andes, could I when there have precipitated him to their base. I wished to see him again, that I might wreak the utmost extent of abhorrence on his head and avenge the deaths of William and Justine. Our house was the house of mourning. My father's health was deeply shaken by the horror of the recent events. Elizabeth was sad and desponding; she no longer took delight in her ordinary occupations; all pleasure seemed to her sacrilege toward the dead; eternal woe and tears she then thought was the just tribute she should pay to innocence so blasted and destroyed,” (118).

            The monster feels justified because it asked Victor for two things: love and affection. Because Victor provided neither because he was so disgusted by his appearance and monstrosity, the monster regrets his kind actions and goes on a warpath, "Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were those of rage and revenge. I could with pleasure have destroyed the cottage and its inhabitants and have glutted myself with their shrieks and misery,” (208) until it came upon the idea of having a partner. “For the first time the feelings of revenge and hatred filled my bosom, and I did not strive to control them, but allowing myself to be borne away by the stream, I bent my mind towards injury and death. When I thought of my friends, of the mild voice of De Lacey, the gentle eyes of Agatha, and the exquisite beauty of the Arabian, these thoughts vanished and a gush of tears somewhat soothed me. But again when I reflected that they had spurned and deserted me, anger returned, a rage of anger, and unable to injure anything human, I turned my fury towards inanimate objects,” (259), similar to how a baby will take out its’ frustration on the nearest objects. When Victor denied him the basic right of a cherished and loved partner, the monster threatened, and carried through, with his own revenge. “The nearer I approached to your habitation, the more deeply did I feel the spirit of revenge enkindled in my heart,” (276) as the monster approached civilization, he was again reminded of his ugly physical appearance.

            The monster’s anger comes from Victor’s rejection of him. Victor’s anger comes from the ugly appearance of the creature. The society’s anger comes from the beastliness and monstrosity of the creature. The origins of the monster’s limbs come into play slightly because that is the main cause of the ugliness – decrepit body parts that had been lying in a grave for years.

Explanations for Frankenstein Questions

1. Words like “fate,” “fatal,” and “omen” are often used in Victor’s description of his tragedy. These words accomplish all of the following EXCEPT to..

a) is not correct because it shows that Victor has given up

b) is not correct because it shows Victor’s inability to accept responsibility

c) is not correct because the negative connotation creates intensity

d) is not correct because fate refers to divine power

e) is correct because the monster intended to be loved and to love a fellow creature

2. Adding the layers of passing down information from the Monster to Victor, from Victor to the Walton, from Walton to his sister serves to reinforce which of the following?

a) is not correct because the story telling has nothing to do with the book

b) is correct Mary Shelley’s omniscient perspective

c) is not correct because you only find out the monster’s emotions third hand

d) is not correct because Victor’s abandonment and neglect is epitomized by himself

e) is not correct because Walton’s departure from the north has nothing to do with the story telling

3. In the quote “Have my murderous machinations deprived you also, my dearest Henry of life?” Shelley is utilizing which literary device?

a) is not correct because there is no repetition of phrases

b) is correct because Frankenstein is talking to a dead Clerval

c) is not correct because the sentence doesn’t refer to any outside story

d) is not correct because even though there are two m sounds, the apostrophe is more pronounced

e) is not correct because no object is given human-like qualities

4. What does the word “affright” mean in the following sentence, “Fortunately, as I spoke my native language, Mr. Kirwin alone understood me; but my gestures and bitter cries were sufficient to affright the other witnesses”?

a) is correct because it has the same root

b) is not correct because it already states that the witnesses didn’t understand

c) is not correct because only Mr. Kirwin worried

d) is not correct because being frightened would make you wary

e) is not correct because the witnesses did not feel sympathy toward his plight

5. In the quote, “A cold dew covered my forehead, my teeth chattered, and every limb became convulsed: when, by the dim and yellow light of the moon…,” the tone the author uses could be described best by all of the following EXCEPT…

a) is not correct because the monster looks unsafe

b) is correct because desolate refers to a lonely or barren place

c) is not correct because the monster is made out of rotting body parts Dilapidated

d) is not correct because the movements are unnatural

e) is not correct because a hideous creature is coming to life 

Frankenstein AP Multiple Choice Questions

Frankenstein AP Multiple Choice Questions

1. Words like “fate,” “fatal,” and “omen” are often used in Victor’s description of his tragedy. These words accomplish all of the following EXCEPT to..

a) Reflect Victor’s sense of resignation

b) Show Victor’s inability to accept responsibility for what he has done

c) Create a tense atmosphere

d) Contribute to the idea that Victor has tampered with divine power

e) Display the monster’s original intentions

2. Adding the layers of passing down information from the Monster to Victor, from Victor to the Walton, from Walton to his sister serves to reinforce which of the following?

a) The story telling mood of the book

b) Mary Shelley’s omniscient perspective

c) The monster’s emotions

d) Victor’s abandoning and neglecting of his scientific quest

e) Walton’s departure from the north

3. In the quote “Have my murderous machinations deprived you also, my dearest Henry of life?” Shelley is utilizing which literary device?

a) Anaphora

b) Apostrophe

c) Allusion

d) Alliteration

e) Personification

4. What does the word “affright” mean in the following sentence, “Fortunately, as I spoke my native language, Mr. Kirwin alone understood me; but my gestures and bitter cries were sufficient to affright the other witnesses?

a) To frighten

b) To misunderstand

c) To worry

d) To make wary

e) To become empathetic

5. In the quote, “A cold dew covered my forehead, my teeth chattered, and every limb became convulsed: when, by the dim and yellow light of the moon…,” the tone the author uses could be described best by all of the following EXCEPT…

a) Sketchy

b) Desolate

c) Dilapidated

d) Distasteful

e) Nightmarish

Answer Key: 1) e, 2) b, 3) b, 4) a, 5) b

The Tempest Questions Explained

The Tempest Explained

a) is not correct because though magical, it’s not the main point
b) is not correct because the characters are hopeful despite the tone of everything being dark because of the storm
c) is not correct because the characters in the scene are snarky, not the tone
d) is not correct because it cannot be a tone of a passage
e) is correct because it uses pathetic fallacy

2. The tempest is a symbolic form of an upheaval from a state of:

a) is not correct because a tempest is a part of nature and can’t be a drastic change
b) is correct because it’s the opposite of upheaval
c) is not correct because the tempest can’t be the opposite of harm
d) is not correct because a tempest can’t be the opposite of disgust which is a human emotion
e) is not correct because a tempest is part of nature

3. The following sentence is an example of which literary device?
“Is to make midnight mushrooms, that rejoice”

a) is not correct because it doesn’t represent anything
b) is not correct because mushrooms don’t refer to anything
c) is correct because it uses multiple m consonants
d) is not correct because it doesn’t symbolize a story
e) is not correct because it has epetition of m’s, but not of words

4. Examples of symbols in The Tempest
I. The Tempest
II. The Game of Chess
III. Prospero’s Books

a) is not correct because all three are in the play
b) is not correct because all three are in the play
c) is not correct because all three are in the play
d) is not correct because all three are in the play
e) is correct because they all represent symbols

5. Which one of these Shakespeare allusions is NOT an allusion in The Tempest?

a) is not correct because Antonio is a brother searching for power like Claudius
b) is correct because nowhere in Romeo and Juliet is there magic besides the potion
c) is not correct because Prospero’s obsession is similar to Polonius and Ophelia in Hamlet
d) is not correct Miranda is a princess like in The Winter’s Tale
e) is not correct because Prospero’s Masque is the same as The Taming of the Shrew

The Tempest AP Multiple Choice Questions

1. What word best describes the tone established in the opening scene of The Tempest?

a) Whimsical
b) Hopeful
c) Snarky
d) Wonder
e) Dark

 2. The tempest is a symbolic form of an upheaval from a state of:

a) Nature
b) Peace
c) Harm
d) Disgust
e) Mother Nature

 3. The following sentence is an example of which literary device?
“Is to make midnight mushrooms, that rejoice”

a) Satire
b) Symbol
c) Alliteration
d) Allusion
e) Repetition

 4. Examples of symbols in The Tempest
I. The Tempest
II. The Game of Chess
III. Prospero’s Books

a) I only
b) I and II
c) I and III
d) II and III
e) I, II, and III

5. Which one of these Shakespeare allusions is NOT an allusion in The Tempest?
a) Antonio to Claudius in Hamlet
b) Ariel to Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet
c) Prospero’s obsession with controlling his daughter’s sex life and choice of husband to Polonius and Ophelia in Hamlet
d) Miranda is a princess to Perdita’s discovery of her royal status in The Winter’s Tale
e) Prospero’s Masque to The Taming of the Shrew

 Answer Key: 1) e, 2) a, 3) c, 4) e, 5) b  

Close Reading Essay of Frankenstein

Frankenstein

            The deaths of his loved ones leave him with a sense of loss, guilt and despair because he knows he is indirectly responsible for their deaths. There is also apostrophe when Victor asks a very dead Henry questions about his death. Victor addresses the rhetorical questions towards Walter. Syntax is powerfully emotional language that express the depth of Victor’s reactions: ‘parched with horror’, ‘shuddering and agony’ etc.. The words refer to his mental and violent physical reactions that took place at that time. And Victor once again falls into illness as his body is racked by guilt and despair. The fact that only the magistrate understands his native German foreshadows the fact that he will be the one to convince others of Victor’s innocence. Shelley employs ironies and hyperboles, ‘More miserable than man ever was before’ while saying that his suffering is more than any of those of the victims of the monster. This shows that Victor is self-absorbed by himself and his own obsessive actions and is proven by his first thought at the sight of Henry’s body, ‘my murderous machinations’.

There is also another moment of foreshadowing when talking about the brides and youthful lovers referring to when Elizabeth is killed on the night of their wedding. He dreads becoming fodder for worms, when it is ironic that he dug through body parts to create his monster. “Of what materials was I made” could be something easily said by his creation, showing that the two of them might be more similar than Victor thought.

The Tempest Prose Passage

Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves,
And ye that on the sands with printless foot
Do chase the ebbing Neptune and do fly him
When he comes back; you demi-puppets that
By moonshine do the green sour ringlets make,
Whereof the ewe not bites, and you whose pastime
Is to make midnight mushrooms, that rejoice
To hear the solemn curfew; by whose aid,
Weak masters though ye be, I have bedimm'd
The noontide sun, call'd forth the mutinous winds,
And 'twixt the green sea and the azured vault
Set roaring war: to the dread rattling thunder
Have I given fire and rifted Jove's stout oak
With his own bolt; the strong-based promontory
Have I made shake and by the spurs pluck'd up
The pine and cedar: graves at my command
Have waked their sleepers, oped, and let 'em forth
By my so potent art. But this rough magic
I here abjure, and, when I have required
Some heavenly music, which even now I do,
To work mine end upon their senses that
This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I'll drown my book.

Solemn music

Re-enter ARIEL before: then ALONSO, with a frantic gesture, attended by GONZALO; SEBASTIAN and ANTONIO in like manner, attended by ADRIAN and FRANCISCO they all enter the circle which PROSPERO had made, and there stand charmed; which PROSPERO observing, speaks:

A solemn air and the best comforter
To an unsettled fancy cure thy brains,
Now useless, boil'd within thy skull! There stand,
For you are spell-stopp'd.
Holy Gonzalo, honourable man,
Mine eyes, even sociable to the show of thine,
Fall fellowly drops. The charm dissolves apace,
And as the morning steals upon the night,
Melting the darkness, so their rising senses
Begin to chase the ignorant fumes that mantle
Their clearer reason. O good Gonzalo,
My true preserver, and a loyal sir
To him you follow'st! I will pay thy graces
Home both in word and deed. Most cruelly
Didst thou, Alonso, use me and my daughter:
Thy brother was a furtherer in the act.
Thou art pinch'd fort now, Sebastian. Flesh and blood,
You, brother mine, that entertain'd ambition,
Expell'd remorse and nature; who, with Sebastian,
Whose inward pinches therefore are most strong,
Would here have kill'd your king; I do forgive thee,

Unnatural though thou art.. [V.I.33-73] pg. 66

Frankenstein Prose Passage

I entered the room where the corpse lay, and was led up to the coffin. How can I describe my sensations on beholding it? I feel yet parched with horror, nor can I reflect on that terrible moment without shuddering and agony, that faintly reminds me of the anguish of the recognition. The trial, the presence of the magistrate and witnesses, passed like a dream from my memory, when I saw the lifeless form of Henry Clerval stretched before me. I gasped for breath; and, throwing myself on the body, I exclaimed, ‘Have my murderous machinations deprived you also, my dearest Henry of life? Two I have already destroyed; other victims await their destiny: but you, Clerval, my friend, my benefactor’ –
The human frame could no longer support the agonizing suffering that I endured, and I was carried out of the room in strong convulsions.
A fever succeeded to this. I lay for two months on the point of death: my ravings, as I afterwards heard, were frightful; I called myself the murderer of William, of Justine, and of Clerval. Sometimes I entreated my attendants to assist me in the destruction of the fiend by whom I was tormented; and, at others, I felt the fingers of the monster already grasping my neck, and screamed aloud with agony and terror.
Fortunately, as I spoke my native language, Mr. Kirwin alone understood me; but my gestures and bitter cries were sufficient to affright the other witnesses.
Why did I not die? More miserable than man ever was before, why did I not sink into forgetfulness and rest? Death snatches away many blooming children, the only hopes of their doating parents: how many brides and youthful lovers have been one day in the bloom of health and hope, and the next a prey for worms and the decay of the tomb! Of what materials was I made, that I could thus resist so many shocks, which, like the turning of the wheel, continually renewed the torture.

Close Reading Essay of The Tempest

In the passage from pages 6-8, (5.1.33-73) of The Tempest by William Shakespeare could be said to mainly use apostrophe, though part of the passage is directed at certain people present in the room. The reader is unable to tell if the spelled beings in the room are able to understand him or not.    

            The first half of the passage is talking to the spiritual beings of earth, which resembles Pantheism. He addresses whatever may reside in nature and is thankful when talking about all the powers that Ariel has bestowed him indirectly. He states all the great things he has done and then turns around to humbly thank them and promises that he is done with his boastful and harmful deeds. Shakespeare’s imagery takes a turn when the tone of the poem is changed repeatedly from awe to criticism and power when commanding the other characters to do his bidding. The tone shifts again when he starts praising Gonzalo’s faithfulness and loyalty almost reverently. There’s another shift as he moves onto his brother, Alonso and Sebastian. Prospero starts out with an angry tone and then starts chastising Antonio which leads to his forgiveness of his brother.

Close Reading Essay of Unwanted

In the poem, “Unwanted”, Edward Field uses imagery and the passage of time as a way for a reader to feel the loneliness of the speaker and the want to feel needed or even noticed. The speaker adds his own commentary at the bottom of the poem to express his desperation. Field uses alliteration and imagery in line 4, “Posting first full face and then profile” to slow the pace of the poem and stress timing. Alliteration causes the line to be more memorable and gives the effect of the speaker pausing to look at what is in front of him – a picture of himself. The speaker’s loneliness is taken to a new level when he risks his freedom to pose next to a Wanted poster of himself and is upset still, when no one recognizes him. Field’s syntax escalates when he lets his background shine through as his words become dialectical, “Ah guess ah’ll go up echo mountain and crah,” (line 8). The use of the affected spelling causes the reader to pause again as they try to attain the accent of Edward Field. The speaker notes, reluctantly, that, “The photograph was taken some years ago,” (line 6) as if he doesn’t want to acknowledge that so much time has gone by that no one is able to recognize him, that he doesn’t even receive a passing glance. The speaker’s need to feel noticed and appreciated is also reflected in the way that Frankenstein’s monster felt lonely. Both of them only ever wanted love and were still unable to receive it. The speaker’s loneliness is so strong that he desperately states that he will answer to anything, but especially love. Frankenstein’s monster only craves affection from his master, and when he doesn’t receive it, he goes out on a rampage. The monster realizes that he only draws horror from Victor and so asks him to create a female companion so that he may be happy and feel loved and not so judged by how he looks.

Close Reading Essay of The Poison Tree

The Poison Tree Close Reading Essay

In the poem “The Poison Tree”, William Blake uses metaphors, symbolism and allusions to show how anger can create something physical and that anger can be easily remedied by communication. The suppression of anger can lead to the cultivation of anger.

            The Poison Tree is a poem about how not forgiving a foe can lead to secretive resentment leading to the death of the foe. The first quatrain uses repetition to distinguish the anger against a friend and the anger against a foe. The speaker was able to forgive his friend by communicating to him that he was angry, but since he didn’t tell his foe that he was angry, the anger manifested into something physically harmful to the foe and mentally harmful to the speaker. Blake personified his wrath into a tree which grew from his anger and “[he] water’d it in fears, Night & morning with my tears,” (lines 5-6). The speaker’s joy when he sees the dead body of his foe on the ground because anger can you to do something you didn’t think was possible (the physical creation of a tree) and then later regret, “When the night had veil’d the pole/In the morning glad I see/My foe outstrech’d beneath the tree,” (line 14-16).

            The poison tree isn’t simply a metaphor for anger but is actually a physical poisoned tree created by the speaker’s personified anger. The tree comes from a seed of anger – the refusal to tell foe about anger - and it represents the lack of restraint and self-control. There is a general allusion to the story of The Garden of Eden from the Bible. The tree represents the tree of knowledge and grows fruit that tempts the foe because he knows he can’t have it. The foe steals into the speaker’s garden at night stealing the apple like Eve did. The unnatural sprawling of the foe that died is reminiscent of that of Christ on the cross when He was crucified. The actions of the foe take place before the events of the poem leaving the reader to guess how serious the offenses of the foe were. Blake causes the reader to infer that foe was a bully, and that it is now the speaker’s turn to bully the bully which is a reflection. Imagery is used a lot when talking about the tree and the poisoned apple, “And it grew both day and night,/Till it bore an apple bright;/And my foe beheld it shine,/And knew that it was mine,” (lines 12-16). The poet refers to both the apple and the tree using the word ‘it’ showing that the speaker doesn’t really care about his anger, just on getting his revenge. The Tempest’s Prospero manifests his anger into sinking the ship that carries the people who tried to usurp him, which is an action that takes place before the story begins. Though unlike the poem, Shakespeare uses a flashback in order to show what transpired to cause Prospero all this anger towards someone, while Blake never explains what caused the speaker to become so angry with his foe. Prospero’s anger grows for many years until the opportunity where they are all on a boat on the way back from a joyous occasion and e uses a spirit’s powers to try and kill them.

Unwanted - Edward Field

Unwanted – Edward Field

The poster with my picture on it
Is hanging on the bulletin board in the Post Office.

I stand by it hoping to be recognized
Posing first full face and then profile

But everybody passes by and I have to admit
The photograph was taken some years ago.

I was unwanted then and I'm unwanted now
Ah guess ah'll go up echo mountain and crah.

I wish someone would find my fingerprints somewhere
Maybe on a corpse and say, You're it.

Description: Male, or reasonably so
White, but not lily-white and usually deep-red

Thirty-fivish, and looks it lately
Five-feet-nine and one-hundred-thirty pounds: no physique

Black hair going gray, hairline receding fast
What used to be curly, now fuzzy

Brown eyes starey under beetling brow
Mole on chin, probably will become a wen

It is perfectly obvious that he was not popular at school
No good at baseball, and wet his bed.

His aliases tell his history: Dumbell, Good-for-nothing,
Jewboy, Fieldinsky, Skinny, Fierce Face, Greaseball, Sissy.

Warning: This man is not dangerous, answers to any name
Responds to love, don't call him or he will come.

The Poison Tree - William Blake

The Poison Tree – William Blake

I was angry with my friend:

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe;

I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I water'd it in fears,

Night & morning with my tears;

And I sunned it with my smiles

And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,

Till it bore an apple bright;

And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole

When the night had veil'd the pole:

In the morning glad I see

My foe outstretch'd beneath the tree